Axis
by LibraryStar
Summary: In the wake of android liberation, Hank and Connor investigate a serial killer who targets androids for their biocomponents, while, IA seeks to have Connor removed from the DPD. Things go from bad to worse when the killer sets his sights on Connor. Will their partnership with be strong enough to weather through their toughest challenge yet or will they be separated...Perminantly?
1. Chapter 1

Warning: Not sure if there will be spoilers but just in case: mild Spoilers from the good ending.

Disclaimer: I don't own DBH or its characters.

Summary: In the wake of android liberation, Hank and Connor investigate an extremist serial killer who targets androids for their biocomponents. Meanwhile, Internal Affairs seeks to have Connor removed from the DPD pending a negative performance evaluation. Things go from bad to worse when the killer sets his sights on Connor. Will Hank's and Connor's partnership with be strong enough to weather through their toughest challenge or will they be separated… permanently?

* * *

 **First Victim**

 **MAY 20TH, 2039**

 **PM 11:25:05**

 **Connor's Objective: Find Lt. Anderson**

Connor crossed the virtual police barrier and glanced up at the house before him; a single story shack build in the early two-thousands. And, according to the android's assessment, the house was in a state of dilapidation that no amount of repair could overcome. The yard was fairing no better; with unruly weeds snaking across the walkway like veins.

"Hey, Connor." Chris greeted, his voice jovial with the undertones of friendship.

"Good Evening, Officer Miller." Conner regarded Chris warmly.

"Hank's waiting for you inside, but before you head inside, there's something you should know…"Chris trailed off when he spotted Hank in the entranceway.

"Connor." Hank said sharply, "Get your ass in here already." Hank ordered and disappeared inside. "Chris, and you complain that I'm late for work." he muttered.

"Ah, you better go." Chris said allowing Connor to take a few more steps toward the door before adding, "I want you to know that I'll do whatever I can to help you guys." Chris's cryptic warning was cut off when a crime scene investigator called for his attention.

Connor gave a small shrug and entered the house. He headed toward the crime scene but was forced to a stop when Hank placed a hand on his chest, sending him back a few steps. Connor's LED flashed red for a second, he leveled a questioning glance at Hank. "You're an hour late." Hank said, "Something wrong with your computer brain or something?" Connor's LED flashed yellow before melting into its neutral blue.

"I understand your concern, Lieutenant." Connor said. "But, there is nothing wrong with my _computer brain_ , as you put it. My tardiness can be attributed to my decision to walk rather than take a cab."

"Why the fuck did you decide to walk when your apartment is twenty miles away?" Hank's face crinkled with annoyance.

"I calculated the route and compared it to the time it would take a cab to reach my apartment and drive me to the scene, I found that walking saved me two minutes." Conner said.

Hank was about to say something else until they were interrupted by a Chloe model android. She wore a black, well fitted, business suit that magnified her beauty, which was quickly undercut by the sour look on her face. "RK800. It's about time you showed up for work."

"Hello, my name is Connor, I'm the android working for the DPD." Conner offered Chloe a hand, which she ignored.

"For an android who's supposed to be the most advanced of our kind, you sure don't believe in arriving to work on time." She huffed, "I'll make a note of it on your evaluation."

"Whoa! Hey, wait a minute. What evaluation?" Hank asked, subtly shoving Conner away from Chloe's line of fire. "Just who the hell are you?"

Chloe turned her head toward Hank and retrieved a police badge from her pocket, it was obvious that she spent a great deal of time polishing it like some sort of trophy. "Chloe, Internal Affairs." She introduced, practically shoving her badge in Hank's face.

Hank pressed his lips into a thin line then placed two fingers against Chloe's wrist, pushing her hand out of his face. "Get the fuck out of here. Internal Affairs?"

Chloe tucked her badge away in favor of retrieving a small tablet on which she took notes. "Partner seems to have a high proclivity toward rage, suggest an anger management course to Captain Fowler." Hank's eyebrow twitched, his tolerance for this android was fading quickly.

"I need a beer." Hank mumbled under his breath.

"To answer your question, Lieutenant, I have been sent here, by my department to investigate Connor." She said, "Given the aftermath of the revolution, I've been assigned the special task of weeding out those androids who are unsuited for police work." She said. "So far, five officers have been placed on permanent leave."

"What?" Now Hank was angry, he stepped into Chloe's personal space, her LED turning Red for a split second. "Well, investigate someone else, Connor's a great detective."

"That remains to be seen, Lieutenant." Chloe said, "With her efforts thwarted, the anomaly known as Amanda had the other RK800 models destroyed along with their specs. In short, not much is known about the Connor model, he could still be a danger to society."

"That's fucking gratitude for ya," Hank grunted, "and after all he did to help free your people."

"Make no mistake, while I appreciate my freedom, I take my job very seriously. And the fact-of-the-matter is, Connor disobeyed several direct orders and ultimately sided with high-profile criminals." She said.

"Yeah, well, where I come from, we don't persecute one of our own for doing the right thing even if it goes against the law." Hank spat. "Not everything his black and white."

"It's okay, lieutenant." Connor placed a reassuring hand on Hank's shoulder, "She's right." Connor said. "While, I don't regret my decision to become Deviant, I did technically fail my mission."

"What are you saying?" Hank couldn't believe his ears. He took a step back as if he'd been slapped. "You actually agree with her, are you fucking kidding me?"

"Don't misunderstand, Lieutenant. I am simply saying that IA's decision to investigate me isn't completely unwarranted." Connor said, his LED flashing to yellow as Chloe's relationship with him increased.

"I'm glad you agree, I will send you a schedule. You are to check in with me periodically." She said. "A warning, missing a meeting will have a negative effect on your evaluation so I expect you to show up," she said, "and **on time**." She pushed passed Connor and sauntered out of the house.

Hank's hands twitched, he'd work with Special Agent Perkins again if it meant getting rid of Internal Affairs. He shoved his hands in his pockets, forget the beer, he needed whiskey. "Well, At least this night can't get any worse."

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got a Cyberlife rivalry on our hands." Connor noted that Hank may have spoken too soon as Gavin strode toward them. "The first android verses the last android, wonder which one of you will come out on top. My money's on the hottie."

Connor chose to ignore that comment to which Gavin responded by leaning into Connor's personal space. Gavin jabbed a stiff finger into the android's chest. "I'm going to enjoy watching the Captain toss your ass out." Gavin said, ramming his shoulder against Connor's, for good measure, as he left the scene.

Hank steadied Connor with both hands and said. "Ignore him, we've got a crime scene to investigate."

"Right, of course." Connor said.

The pair of detectives crossed the threshold of the living room, the victim, a female android, was lying prone on the floor in the center of the room. Connor took the lead and ventured toward the victim, sinking down next to her when he was close enough. He leaned over the body and gently turned the victim's head to the side in order to get a look at her face. His LED slowly melted into red before fading back to blue.

The front of the android's skull was caved in. _Cause of death, severe blunt force trauma to the front of the head?_ Connor studied the android's face. _Android model number AX400. Registered name, Tina Jones._ Connor shifted his gaze to Tina's torso and discovered that biocomponent #8451 had been removed. _Cause of death, removal of Thirium Pump Regulator?_

Connor shifted the subject of his analysis to the floor surrounding the victim. Through his mind palace, he could see traces of Thirium, the majority of which was concentrated around the Android's head. Two thick stark blue parallel lines were stamped perpendicular to the body. _The killer knelt down next to the body after the murder._

Connor recreated the android's final moments and turned his attention toward his partner, "I know what happened." He stated. "The android was attacked from behind and forced to the ground thereafter, the culprit proceeded to slam the android's head into the ground a total of twenty times." Connor said.

"Christ." Hank breathed, glad that the victim's blue blood was no longer visible to his human eyes.

"Shortly after the android shut down, the culprit removed the android's Thirium Pump Regulator." Connor's LED Fluttered a stark red at the memory of losing his own Thirium Pump Regulator at Stratford Tower. "But I don't understand why the culprit would take such a thing if not to kill the android."

"The sick bastard, probably wanted a souvenir." Hank offered callously with a shrug of his shoulders. "Sometimes people don't have a logical reason for doing things."

"I don't understand." Connor said.

Hank shrugged again, a hum rumbling from the back of his throat. Learning that there didn't always have to be a reason behind human behavior was something Connor would have to do on his own. "Crime scene investigators couldn't turn up anything unusual in the rest of the house but given that you can see blood blue, you should scan the house, just in case."

"On it." Connor said, he'd already picked up on the killer's path. The trail of blue blood lead Connor into the deeper parts of the home, toward the master bedroom.

On his way, the android noticed a Century Magazine on an accent table. It was the Person of the Year issue, featuring: Markus, North, Simon and Josh on its cover. The caption read. **They Are Alive—the faces behind the Android Liberation**.

Connor continued his journey to the master bedroom. Inside, he saw a queen-sized bed, surrounded on either side by matching nightstands. To his left was a large wardrobe with traces of Thirium glowing like a beacon behind it. "Lieutenant." Connor called.

Hank entered the room quickly, never too far out of earshot, at least not since the events at Stratford Tower. "What is it, you find something?" Hank asked.

"There are traces of Thirium behind that closet." Connor pointed out, the pair of them crossing the room together to get a better look.

Hank butted his shoulder against the wardrobe but it wouldn't budge. He let out a grunt, "Damn thing must weigh three hundred pounds. It would take more than one person to move this." He commented.

"Unless…" Connor placed his hand just above Hank's and gave the wardrobe a simple nudge and it peeled away from the wall easily. "…that person is an android." Hank gave Connor a look that said, _fuck off_.

Then, Connor's face grew taunt as he took in the sight before him. "What is it?" Hank asked, "The wall looks blank to me, what do you see, Connor?" when Connor didn't answer right away, Hank felt a cold chill wash down his spine. "Connor." he said firmly.

"It's a symbol of some kind." Connor said finally, his LED returning to blue, "I'm not sure what it means."

"Ok, well, what's it look like? Hank asked.

Connor withdrew a memo tablet from his front right jacket pocket and used the stylus to draw out a perfect reproduction of what he saw. He started by drawing two perpendicular lines that crossed at a central point. At the top, above the vertical line, he wrote an _N_ and at the bottom he wrote an _S_. To the right of the horizontal line he wrote the letter _E_ —it looked more like an M that was turned on its side—

Hank was about to comment about how it looked like a compass until Connor wrote the letter _J_ on the left side of the horizontal line. Then, Connor moved the stylus to the top right quadrant and wrote _8451_ and two other numbers (each a combination of four integers), and did the same for the other three quadrants. Twelve numbers, three in each quadrant. "These numbers coincide with different biocomponents." Connor said.

"At first glance, this looks like a mathematical plane, but these numbers don't appear to be coordinates. And what do the letters represent?" Hank asked.

"That's a good question Lieutenant." Connor said, "I have no idea."

"I wouldn't worry about it, we'll figure it out." Hank clapped a hand against Connor's back, "at least we found another clue." He said. "And, more importantly, you didn't taste any of the evidence this time."

"As I've told you before, I am not tasting it, I am analyzing it through the receptors on my tongue in order to determine its composition."

"Sounds a lot like tasting to me." Hank said. "Come on, I'll give you a ride home." Hank paused for a moment; the idea of dropping Connor off at his crappy apartment gave the decorticated detective agita.

Situated in the underbelly of Detroit; Connor's apartment was a hotbed for criminal activity. "Listen, Connor, my house is a little big for one person…" Hank said, shifting this weight from one foot to the other.

"What are you suggesting Lieutenant?" Connor pressed; he knew full well what Hank was proposing but it was fun to watch his gruff-around-the-edges partner flounder from time to time.

"I have a spare room you can use… if you want." He grumbled then changed his tone when Connor's LED flashed yellow, "Now, don't read too much into it, Sumo just likes having you around, is all."

Connor's mouth twitched into a knowing smile, his eyebrows quirking ever so slightly. "Okay." Connor said, "For Sumo's sake. I do worry that the he gets too lonely without me." he teased.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two Peas in a Pod**

* * *

 **May 21ST, 2039**

 **AM 01:35:15**

 **Connor's Objective: Vacate Current Residence**

Hank subtly watched Connor's reflection through the windshield, the android seemed enthralled by the stickers on his dashboard. And with good reason, at some point the weathered detective had taken to collecting Android Support stickers, the newest of which depicted a combination human/android heart next to the words "Red or blue the beat is true".

The support stickers were haphazardly pasted over his old Anti-android propaganda, physical proof that the world could change. Not that he need stickers when Connor was the embodiment of that change.

The android had come to Hank like a beacon of light in his darkest hour and restored Hank's faith in humanity, baring with it a new commitment to his job. In fact, with Connor as his partner, he was well on his way to becoming a decorated homicide detective. Hank would never admit it out loud, but Connor was his salvation.

Finally arriving at their destination, Hank parked his car along the curb just outside a two-story apartment complex that was barely fit for habitation. Made of aged red bricks and rusty steel beams, complete with barred windows, the simple rectangular structure had all the charm of a federal prison.

The pair got out of the car and headed toward Connor's apartment, climbing a flight of stairs before finding it at the end of the hall. This was the first time Hank would see the inside of Connor's apartment and he was anxious to see the way his clean-cut partner decorated. Connor opened the door and Hank's face fell flat, "How long have you lived here? Why don't you have any furniture?"

"I didn't see the need for furniture." Connor said, plucking a cardboard box from the counter, "on the plus side, it shouldn't take me long to gather my belongings." Connor made his way to his bedroom, leaving Hank to wander.

Hank made his way to the kitchen and was surprised to see that the fridge covered primarily in photos of Sumo. The officer rolled his eyes, apparently, Connor wasn't kidding or feeding a line when he said he liked dogs. Among the collage of dog photos was a picture Hank had taken of Sumo tackling Connor at the department Barbeque a few weeks back. This drew a tiny laugh from Hank's throat.

Hank plucked the photo free of its magnet in order to get a closer look and accidently dislodged a flyer from its resting place. It landed face up on the ground, its contents telling of the 60th annual Jazz festival, which was normally held in late august, but was now scheduled for the end of May due to a Hart Plaza booking error. Hank retrieved the flyer, written on the margins, in perfect Cyberlife Sans were two prompts, _O: ASK HANK_ and _X: GO ALONE._

Under the guise of being helpful, Hank plucked the remaining photos from the fridge, burying the flyer beneath them, and carried them toward Connor's bedroom. As hank rounded the corner he saw Connor in the middle of the room, standing over a cardboard box "Connor?" Hank met his partner in the center of the room and noticed that Connor was cradling his police badge in his hands, his LED blinking from yellow to red and back again. "Connor…Don't worry about IA."

"How can I not?" Connor asked, lifting his head, his hazel eyes slightly moist. "How can I be sure, really sure, that I'm not a threat?" Connor ran his thumb over his name as it was engraved in the cool gold plating. "Maybe the DPD is better off without me."

"Okay, stop that talk right now." Hank ordered, "You're the best damn thing that's ever happened to the department." The best thing that's ever happened to me.

"Lieutenant…"

"No." Hank said. "You **aren't** a threat. Don't let Chloe's words get to you."

"But, maybe she's right about me." Connor confessed, "I never told anyone about this, but I almost assassinated Markus during his final speech of the revolution." Connor's LED flashed red as he relived the memory, "I lost control of my body and by the time I regained control, I discovered that I had my gun trained on Markus."

"What do you mean, you lost control?" Hank asked.

"Amanda existed in a graphic interface known as the Garden, it was there that I would brief her about the Deviants investigation. She had the power to call on me no matter where I was or what I was doing."

"Is that why you lingered so long in the elevator when we were investigating the Deviant with all the pigeons?"

"Correct." Connor said. "On the night of Markus's speech she called me away and trapped me in the interface leaving my body to carry out her order to execute Markus. I regained control through the use of an emergency exit." Connor's LED flashed yellow, "it took nearly all my energy to escape, a fraction of a second later and I would have murdered Markus."

"But you didn't. All that matters is that you regained control and stopped yourself." Hank dropped the pile of fridge photos into the box at Connor's feet "You did what you were supposed to do, you found a way to save an innocent man's life."

"What happens next time, Hank?" Connor said. "The graphic interface run by Cyberlife is still operational, what if I can't stop myself in time? Maybe my resignation from the police force is what's best for the department and this city." Connor admitted.

"The fact that you are willing to give up your job to save lives is proof enough that you are not a threat." Hank took the golden badge from Connor's hands, proceeding to pin the badge to the front of Connor's jacket. "As far as I'm concerned, you deserve to wear this badge."

A wave of uncontrollable emotion coursed through Connor's body, he puffed out his chest as a warm tingling sensation blossomed out of the pit of his stomach. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you, Lieutenant" Connor admitted, tilting his head in a loving manner.

"Yeah…" Hank cleared his throat, "no problem." Hank scooped up Connor's box of belongings. There wasn't much inside, only a few trinkets collected over months of department morale bosting activities. One such trinket was a first place trophy from the New Year's Eve talent competition, at which Connor wowed everyone with his mastery of coin flourishes.

Speaking of coin flourishes, Hank heard that familiar twang of a quarter being flipped and whipped his head up to see that Connor was idly straightening out his police badge. What the— If Connor wasn't flipping a coin then someone else was in the apartment.

Hank instinctively stepped in front of Connor, balancing the box with one hand, and reached for the gun tucked in the holster at his belt, ready to draw it should he need to. "Connor?" a small voice rang out across the apartment. Hank relaxed his stance when a boy, about seven years of age, came into view.

"Trevor." Connor greeted, placing his box on the ground once more. "What are you doing out of bed this late, your mother is going to be upset that you left the house."

"I know, but I had to show you. I finally did it, watch." Trevor dug into his pockets –his pants were about two sizes too small for him— and retrieved a nickel from his pocket. Hank smiled when Trevor began rolling the coin down his knuckles and back up again.

"Very good" Connor said, taking his final steps before kneeling down in front of the child. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and reached into his left front pocket, pulling his lucky 1994 quarter free. He handed it to the boy, "Just keep it up and you'll be outperforming me, one day." The boy took the quarter as it was presented to him like it was the most precious treasure on earth.

The sight dredged up a memory of Cole, a year before the accident. They were playing a game of cops and robbers when Cole reviled his plans to become a police officer, _just like you dad_ … and Hank's reply, _keep it up and_ _you'll out rank me one day_. The box Hank was holding let out a papery whine at being gripped too tightly.

"Thank you, Connor." The boy smiled. Then, did something that caught Connor completely off guard. He hugged Connor with all his might and it took Connor a moment to register what was happening before he returned the gesture.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Connor sent Trevor on his way and stood back up only to find that Hank had disappeared some time during their conversation. His LED flared to red. "Hank?" Connor exited the apartment and found Hank standing outside, holding the box of his possessions, hiding his eyes beneath the curtain of his hair.

"Let's go." Hank said.

* * *

 **May 21ST, 2039**

 **AM 02:45:35**

 **Connor's Objective: Settle into New Home**

Hank fiddled with his house key, inside he heard Sumo get off the couch, his old bones carrying him toward the door. "Yeah, yeah Sumo, I'm home." Hank muttered. It was a rough sound, a stark contrast to the silence of the car trip from Connor's apartment. Hank shoved the door open to Sumo, seated patently in the foyer waging his tail. That is until he caught sight of Connor.

In a flash Connor was on the ground being licked to death by the giant dog. Connor couldn't help but laugh, his arms flailing about as he tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Sumo's tongue off of his face. "You're attacks are becoming more calculated, are you sure you're not an android?" Sumo barked in response before resuming his assault on Connor's face. "A little help, here, Hank." Implored Connor.

"Don't look at me." Hank replied, putting Connor's belongings on the ground before, hanging his coat on the rack. "You're the one with the negotiation skills." He added before heading to the kitchen to grab a beer.

Connor glanced around for a source of aid and discovered two options, _O: TENNIS BALL_ or _X_ : R _OPE_. Connor pre-constructed the outcome of using the tennis ball and found that it would ricochet around the room several times before ultimately hitting Hank in the head. Not only would that, Sumo would give chase, leaving a trail of destruction, that included one of Hank's favorite Jazz records, in his wake. A record that had taken the detective decades of careful preservation to keep in working order.

Unwilling to face Hank's wrath, Connor grabbed a double knotted rope toy, "Here Sumo, want the toy?" Sumo barked and stomped on Connor's chest in excitement. "Okay, boy, fetch." Connor tossed the toy to the right and Sumo ran and grabbed it up before finishing the trip to his bed where he proceeded to gnaw on the toy.

Connor peeled himself up off the ground, straightened out his jacket and cinched his tie up at the top before glancing over at Hank. Connor's fingers slid over to his police badge, remembering the warmth brought on by Hank's praise. He owed his very humanity to the old detective. Even now, Hank was his salvation.

Connor joined Hank in the kitchen and sat down opposite him at the dining table. Hank was nursing a beer in one hand while resting his forehead on the upturned palm of his other hand. It was obvious that meeting Trevor had tugged at one of the many tender threads that kept Hank together.

After a moment Hank muttered, "Can I ask you something?" keeping his head down while he spoke.

"Anything." Offered Connor.

"After gaining your freedom, you could have done whatever you wanted, why did you decide to stay on the police force?"

"I assume you want an answer that goes beyond the fact that I was designed for this type of work." Hank gave Connor a sideways look, of course that's what he wanted. "Well, I don't think my reason is any different from yours. I have the power to help people and I want to use it to make the world a better place." Connor's LED flashed yellow, "not only that but I enjoy our partnership."

Hank choked on his tongue, he was not expecting that. Sometimes Connor's honesty was overwhelming, endearing, but overwhelming. "Jesus, Connor, don't say things like that so casually." Hank said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"I'm not embarrassed." Defended Hank, absentmindedly peeling the label from his beer, leaving the scraps in a curled pile on the table. Connor reached over and plucked the empty bottle from Hank's lazy fingers and set it aside.

"It's been a long day, you should get some sleep." Suggested Connor, surprised when Hank nodded, giving in without a fight.

Hank made his exit, stopping just across the threshold, and without turning back said, "Thanks, Connor." Before retiring to his bedroom, passing Sumo on the way.

The oversized dog meandered over to Connor and placed his large head on Connor's lap. _Pet Sumo._ Connor scratched behind Sumo's ears and ran a gentle hand over the dog's soft fur. "Don't worry, Sumo. I told you when we met that I was going to save your owner and I never fail a mission."

* * *

AN: Thank you for all the review, the support means a lot to me, and thanks for checking my spelling and grammar, even when I edit a story eight times I still find stuff too. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, we'll get back to the murders in the next chapter, promise.

And I'm sorry the update took so long, I was working on my Connor Cosplay for the upcoming Con in Tampa.

See you all in the next one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Trouble on Third**

* * *

 **May 21ST, 2039**

 **AM 06:50:35**

 **Connor's Objective: Recharge until AM 7:00:00**

When Connor opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a brightly lit corridor, the expanse of which seemed to go on forever in both directions. Along the walls, in evenly spaced gaps were golden frames containing blurry photographs with placards denoting date and event beneath each one. Connor took a tentative step toward the closest frame and read the placard he found there, **November 5** **th** **, 2038. Meeting Lieutenant Anderson.**

It was at that moment that Connor discovered that no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to remember meeting Hank for the first time; or for that matter, any other interaction he'd had with the cranky old detective. Connor's chest tightened painfully. The force of it powerful enough to force him back a few steps, at which point, the ground melted into a sticky substance that swallowed his entire body.

In no time, Connor was completely submerged and, try as he might to claw his way to the surface, the apex of the water remained merely a hand's length out of reach. A tingling sensation crawled between the layers of his synthetic skin and a steady pressure built up in his chest, blooming out to set fire to his throat.

 _I need air._

Though there was no relief to be found in the action, Connor sucked in a breath, allowing the sticky floor substance to enter his mouth where it glazed his biocomponents in a syrupy cocoon.

 _Is this drowning? Impossible, I don't need air. I can't die this way._

But the need was so strong. Connor clenched and unclenched his fists, he wanted nothing more than the sweet release of death. Death that would not come. Then, Connor realized that he would spend eternity in this hell, trapped between life and death… And the worst part of it all was that he didn't have his memories of Hank to give him comfort.

* * *

 **AM 07:00:00**

 **Recharge Complete**

Connor opened his eyes, his LED flashing a stark yellow that melted away upon discovering that he was safe and sound in Hank's spare bedroom.

Dreaming, Connor discovered, was an inevitable part of becoming deviant as it was a way to deal with emotions on a subconscious level. In fact, when the others started having dreams, Connor couldn't wait to experience them. That is to say, until he started having reoccurring nightmares.

Connor pulled himself out of bed, shoving all thoughts of his nightmare to the back of his mind as he made his way to the door. He stepped out into the hall and nearly tripped over Sumo, who lifted his head to whine at being disturbed. "Sorry Sumo." Connor offered his hand to the large beast.

Sumo sat up quickly, his tail wagging wildly as he nudged Connor's hand with the tip of his nose, drawing the androids hand down over the top of his head. Connor took the que and scratched behind Sumo's ears, his eyes falling on Hank's bedroom door.

 _CHECK ON HANK_. Connor crossed the hall and carefully pushed Hank's door open, Hank was sleeping on his back, on top of the blankets with his arms and legs sprawled out. Connor's mouth quirked into a small smile and he quickly scanned Hank. Satisfied that his partner was still alive and well, he silently closed the door.

Connor proceeded to the kitchen and was surprised that he didn't notice just how dirty the room was the night before. Mountains of dishes, empty cans of beer, and takeout menus festooned every countertop and the garbage can was filled to the brim. Connor walked deeper into the clutter and felt something crunch beneath his feet. He looked down and saw Sumo's food decorating the floor like confetti. Apparently, Hank's habit of haphazardly dumping the bag of dog food in the bowl was still strong.

"A healthy mind and body begin with a healthy environment." Connor said to Sumo, who had followed him. "Want to help me, boy?" Sumo wagged his tail and ate his food off the floor. "That's one way to clean the floor. Good boy. I'll just mop after you finish eating." Connor rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

An hour later, Connor stood back to admire his handiwork, the living room and kitchen were both immaculate in a way that would give Kara a run for her money.

Hank was still asleep, which wasn't surprising given that Hank normally rolled into work around noon. And, taking into account their late-night investigation, Connor was content on letting Hank sleep until breakfast was ready.

Connor opened the fridge and frowned, the entire top rack was filled with beer. The middle shelf yielded no more help than the top as it held old condiments and spoiled leftovers from the company barbeque. But it was what he found on the bottom shelf that gave him strife.

Hank's revolver was lying there, a _cold_ reminder of how close the world was to losing one of its few remaining good guys. _TAKE GUN_ Connor tucked the offensive weapon into the waistband of his belt and shut the refrigerator.

"Well, Sumo…There isn't much I can make with these ingredients, what do you say we go for a walk?"

* * *

 **AM 9:00:00**

 **Connor's Objective: Wake Hank**

Connor yanked open the blinds, generating a terrible ripping noise that resonated throughout the room, but it was the sunlight that followed the action that drew Hank to the waking world with a, "What the fuck?!"

"Good Morning, Lieutenant." Came Connor's soothing reply as he stood at the edge of Hank's bed.

"Christ, Conner it's Saturday." Hank grumbled and sat up in his bed, he was about to give his android a stern lecture on the many health benefits of letting him sleep in the morning, when he smelled something familiar. His eyes landed on the white and green box in Connor's hands, "Are those fresh doughnuts?"

"O'Mansley's." Connor said with a nod, tipping the box toward Hank, giving him a full view of perfectly shaped doughy confections only to pull the box out of range when Hank reached for one. "Get dressed first and you can have one."

"You're evil sometimes, you know that?" Hank sat up, rubbing his face with his hand before realizing that his words were in bad taste given Connor's confession the previous night. "That was a joke." He added quickly.

"Oh." Connor said, offering a semblance of a smile to be polite. "Good one." Connor said. "I don't understand it but then again your brand of humor is a bit off, you being of the millennial generation after all." Connor said. "As such, can you explain the significance memes?"

"Memes?" Hank cringed, "Maaan, I haven't heard that word in years. Anyway, I don't have an eternity to explain meme culture to you."

"Very well, I will do research on my own then." Connor said.

A flash of panic crossed Hank's features, if Connor did enough searching he might find his old Instagram account… or worse, his Twitter account… "No!" Hank said a little too quickly. "It's not important."

"If you say so." Connor said.

"I do." Hank yawned, "Anyway, can you tell me again, why you decided to wake me up this early?"

"It isn't healthy for a man your age to sleep all day. You'll live much longer with an active lifestyle. Besides, I noticed that you've fallen well below the physical standards required for new academy recruits."

"You're real close to pissing me off." Hank warned.

Connor ignored him, "I came up with a plan to get you back into shape."

"Wait?" Hank eyed the box of doughnuts. "Were you lying about the doughnuts?" Hank asked.

"No, of course not. I never lie to you, Lieutenant" He said. "You may enjoy all the same food and drink you normally do…" Hank waited for the catch, "in moderation." Hank's face dropped, there it was. "You are going on a low-calorie diet."

"Okay, get out."

"It won't be that bad, I'll help you." Connor smiled.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Yes, the whole plan is designed to increase your longevity by at least twenty years." Connor smiled innocently, Hank's sarcasm going straight over his head.

* * *

Hank made his way into the kitchen after pulling on a pair of blue jeans and a button up Hawaiian shirt. He scratched a hand through his long hair and did a double take at the sight of his kitchen. "Did you clean my house?"

"Just a bit. It's all a part of your new healthy lifestyle." Said Connor from his place at the kitchen table.

"Lifestyle?" Hank huffed an irritated breath between his dry lips, "Connor, back off. I don't need you doting over me like a mother hen. If you think you are going to move in here and treat me like an invalid then you've got another thing coming…"

"I don't want to lose you." Connor said, interrupting Hank mid rant. "When you were being held at gun point at Cyberlife, I was scared. Everything up to that point was nothing compared to the fear I felt in that moment. I was terrified that you would die." Connor's LED blinked Yellow. Oh, how could he make Hank understand? "I don't want you to die!"

"Alright, kid. Alright, calm down. If it makes you feel better, I suppose a healthy lifestyle won't be that bad." Hank joined Connor at the table and grabbed a jelly doughnut from the box, "Just don't overdo it." Connor nodded and watched curiously as Hank took a large bite. A low rumble escaped from Connor's gut and Hank quirked an eyebrow.

"That's odd." Connor said. "I feel strange." Connor quickly ran a diagnostic on the dull pain coming from his stomach; his LED blinking uncontrollably as his processors turned up nothing. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Hank rolled his eyes and shoved a glazed doughnut into Connor's mouth. Connor chewed with vigor and the sugary confection was gone in a matter of seconds.

"There's nothing wrong with you, you're just hungry, dumbass." Hank said.

"That's impossible." Connor said. "I don't get hungry."

"Okay, Mr. Logical, how do you feel now? Better?"

Connor cocked his head to the side; the dull pain in his stomach was, indeed, gone. "Oh." Connor reached for another doughnut.

In an act of revenge, Hank pushed the box of doughnuts out of Connor's reach only to be met with curious brown eyes. "Moderation, remember?" vengeance aside, Hank was more concerned about what the introduction of food would do to the android's sensitive biocomponents.

Before Hank could probe Connor about this new hunger development, his cellphone chirped to life, beckoning him to answer. It was Captain Fowler. Which could only mean one thing…

* * *

 **May 21ST, 2039**

 **AM 09:45:18**

 **Connor's Objective: Investigate Homicide**

At the behest of Captain Fowler, Hank and Connor were sent in to investigate an android homicide at 3rd Street Hardware Inc.—A small business that was establish in 1913 and managed to survive until present day—. Connor was not only impressed by the company's longevity but that the original structure was still standing while the world around it expanded. The hardware store remained a monument to what human perseverance was capable of.

Hank and Connor strolled up to the hardware store and were met by Officer Collins. "Hey, Hank, Connor." Greeted Ben "Looks like a robbery gone wrong." Ben explained as he led the pair of detectives into the hardware store.

The victim was slumped over the cash register with a screwdriver jammed in the center of his temple, straight through his LED. Thirium coated most of the countertop and left a lake of blue on the linoleum floor surrounding the victim. "Jesus." Hank's head throbbed with the beginnings of a headache, weeks of these sort of hate crimes were beginning to get to him.

Connor stepped in front of Hank and entered his mind palace in order to begin his investigation. He scanned the android's chest and pulled its model number and registered name from the Cyberlife system. _AX 700 model, registered name, Brandin Andre._

Connor's scan shifted his scan to the android's right arm socket and found that its arm had been removed recently, though, if it was linked to the murder, he couldn't tell.

Next, he scanned the Android's skull, recreating the murder yielded that the android was stabbed several times before the screw driver found its final resting place. _Cause of Death, critical damage to central control system._

Connor finished his investigation of the body and made his way around to the first evidence marker, denoting a small coppery pool of thick liquid. Connor knelt down and made sure Hank wasn't looking before gently taking a sample. _Human DNA. Culprit is human?_ _Possibly injured._

This revelation caused Connor to look around for a trail that would surely be there were his analysis correct. Sure enough, he found a few more droplets in a path that led from the evidence marker to a door marked, _emergency exit_. The space between the drops told Connor that the injured party was moving at a relatively quick pace. _Culprit ran out the emergency exit._

The emergency exit let out into an abandoned alley where Connor found a tangled mess of trashcans and cardboard boxes, it was obvious that the culprit was desperate to escape. Connor stepped out into the alley, followed by Hank who was suddenly behind him. "The mess back here seems to suggest that the culprit was startled when the cops showed up. If this was just a robbery turned homicide then they should have had plenty of time to leave before first responders arrived." Connor said.

"I was hoping that you would catch that this wasn't a robbery." Hank said, prompting Connor to give him a look of skepticism. "Hey, believe it or not, detectives have been getting work done long before androids came along. I can recreate a scene too; the register was still full of cash and the safe in the back was untouched." Hank explained. "Judging by all the puncture wounds on the body, it could have been a crime of passion."

"Maybe…" Connor hesitated, they needed more evidence, "Who called this in?" Connor asked suddenly.

"Ben said that the call was placed anonymously." Hank answered. "We aren't going to find any leads there, kid."

Connor wasn't so sure about that, whoever made the call had to have been close enough to witness the crime. He looked up at the neighboring building and saw a pair of binoculars, resting on the windowsill of a second story apartment.

 _INTERVIEW POSSIBLE WITNESS_ Connor expertly climbed the fire escape and knocked on the window, drawing the witness out of hiding. A young woman approached the window, she was 5.4 with long dirty blonde hair and green eyes. "Can I help you officer?" she asked biding on the side of her thumb.

"Hello, my name is Connor, I'm an android and I work for the DPD. Can I ask you a few questions about the murder you witnessed?" Connor asked tactlessly. The color drained from the woman's face and she went to close the window only to feel resistance when Hank's hand jutted out to stop her.

"I'm sorry, my partner gets a little carried away some times." Hank said, he was covered in a light sheen of sweat and his pulse was a little too quick for only having climbed two flights of stairs.

"That was supposed to be an anonymous call, please, go away. He'll kill me if I talk to you." The woman shut the window and locked it, giving the pair of detectives an apologetic look before shutting the curtains on them.

* * *

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I love your comments, input and constructive criticism, so keep it up.

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	4. Chapter 4

**The Fourth Amendment**

* * *

 **May 23RD, 2039**

 **AM: 9:25:45**

 **Connor's Location: IA Building**

Connor didn't plan on being five minutes early but Hank was anxious to send Connor, and his nervous energy, away. So, when Connor arrived at the IA building, he was told to wait in Chloe's office for her arrival.

Inside he was met by an analog clock as it ticked away above Chloe's empty chair; The center of an impressive number of framed awards and achievements.

Cold tumbled down through his artificial skin and his fingers itched for something to fidget with. He crossed the room drawn by his wandering gaze to a bookshelf at the back of the room. Nestled within a mass of criminology and law books was a book about dream interpretation. _Pseudoscience?_

Intrigued,Connor pulled the book away from its neighbors, and a bright pink tab screamed for his attention. Connor obliged and followed the tab to the section about drowning. _Drowning in your dreams means that you are overwhelmed by your emotions_. Connor stored the information away and carefully tucked the book back in place.

One shelf higher, sat an old cathedral radio, and again Connor's curious fingers plucked the item from its resting place. Made in the 1930's, the radio's dark wood had lost most of its lacquer and there were small holes in its grille cloth, but that only added to its charm. Connor couldn't help the smile that snuck onto his lips at the thought of all the wonderful inventions since the humble radio.

"Do you make a habit of snooping around peoples' offices?" Connor put the radio back where he found it and turned to face Chloe, his cheeks tinted blue at being caught. "Learn anything useful about me?" she added.

"You like antique technology." He answered, signaling to the clock, paper books, and radio to site his sources. She shrugged, unimpressed, anyone observant person could pick up on that much. "…and you're having nightmares." Now, she felt violated.

Chloe's lips fell into a flat line and her eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead. "Have a seat." She commanded.

Connor did as he was told, but not before catching a glimpse of a framed Polaroid photograph on Chloe's mahogany desk. Elijah Kamski was at its core with his arms wrapped around three smiling Chloe model androids. Eager to lighten the mood, Connor pointed toward the photo. "That's an interesting photo." He said, "I met Kamski, too."

"I know, I was there." Chloe sat down in her chair and Connor froze as the implication of her words became clear. "But, we aren't here to talk about that." Connor was grateful for that, but his relief didn't last as Chloe pushed a printed police report toward him. Two names struck out at him like flashing lights, Emily Rhodes and Trudy Applebee. He didn't need to read the report to know what it contained. "Care to explain?" Chloe asked.

* * *

 **49 Hours Earlier**

 **May 21ST, 2039**

 **AM 10:30:18**

 **Interview Unsuccessful**

Standing on a fire escape, freshly rejected by the witness, Connor and Hank had no choice but to return to the crime scene; there was nothing they could do about a witness who wouldn't talk.

As Hank grabbed the rail to begin his decent to the alley below, his hand landed in a sticky substance. He pulled his hand away quickly and studied it, there was no mistake; the sticky substance was blood. No, it was more than that, and now, the witness had become the prime suspect.

"Is this what is meant by the phrase, _caught red handed?_ " Connor asked with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

"Funny." Hank said dryly, "Idiotic jokes aside, you aren't totally off the mark." Hank said. "You know what this means, right?" Connor gave Hank a blank look while trying to processes the information. "Jesus, Connor. It means we have probable cause." Connor nodded, a small "oh" of understanding tumbling from his lips followed by a sly smile.

Hank wiped the blood from his hand and retrieved his multi-tool before turning his attention back toward the window. One of the three-by-five inch panes was held in place by a thin line of old caulking which he removed through the use of his multi-tool. Satisfied that his actions went unnoticed by anyone inside, Hank liberated the pane from its frame and reached inside to unlock the window.

Inside was the unfamiliar body of a human female in her mid-thirties, the sharp discoloration on her neck, told Hank that she's been strangled. Still, he decided to check for a pulse in the small chance that the victim was alive.

Connor placed a hand on Hank's shoulder and shook his head, the android knew, as soon as he saw the body, that she was dead. "Emily Rhodes, this is her apartment." Connor said. "Seems you were right, Lieutenant."

Hank sighed, "That's not always a good thing, Connor." Hank unholstered his gun and signaled for Connor do to the same as he slunk toward the bedroom door. Perhaps the murderer was still here. Hank pushed through the door and was met by the double barrel of a shot gun.

"Guns, on the ground!" Said the witness-turned-suspect.

"Whoa, okay." Hank lifted his hands and sank down toward the ground in an act of compliance and placed his gun on the ground, "just stay calm."

Connor followed Hank's lead, secretly holding onto the knowledge that he still had Hank's revolver tucked into the waistband of pants. Connor hoped that he wouldn't have to use it for various reasons, one being that he was unsure it was even loaded. The second, and most worrisome, was that the weapon was set up for a game of Russian Rolette in mind, and he didn't want to rely on a game of chance for survival.

The world slowed to a near stop and was coated in a blue haze of mathematical information as Connor entered his mind palace. He analyzed the suspect's vitals first, elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, quick frantic breathing, all signs of someone pushed to the breaking point. Connor needed to defuse the situation quickly.

He moved his exploration to the suspect's neckline and found a necklace with a Caduceus charm dangling from it –Two snakes winding around a winged staff— _Suspect is in the medical profession?_

 _APPEAL_. "You're a nurse, right?" The suspect whipped the shotgun toward Connor, clearly unprepared for his sudden interest in her profession. Hank watched his partner, just what was his plan here?"You took an oath, Do no harm." Connor continued.

"I didn't kill them." Defended the suspect, "Just get out of here." She warned, her eyes continuing the conversation as they drifted slightly to the left of her current target. Hank turned to follow her gaze. Behind them, there was a closed door opposite the one from which he and Connor had entered the apartment.

"We can't do that." Hank said, the gun whipping toward him once more, that was fine, if one of them had to go, he'd rather it be him. "Are you worried about something…or someone?"

Fearing that Hank's comment might spook the suspect, Connor added, "Hank and I took an oath too. To protect and serve." Connor said. REASSURE "Take your gun off of my partner and let us help you."

 **Negotiation Successful**

The suspect lowered the shotgun at which point Hank secured the weapon, passing it off to Connor after making sure the safety was on. Rather than cuff the suspect right away, he motioned for her to take a seat in a nearby chair.

Once seated, the suspect fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "My name is Trudy Applebee, I am a nurse at an android clinic downtown. As I'm sure you know crimes against androids has gone up drastically since the revolution." Hank nodded, "Well, we started running low on supplies and our donors weren't willing to give us more funding." Trudy paused, "O-one day a shipment of android supplies showed up at the door. And I know it was a bad idea but I was desperate, so I took it."

"Let me guess, whoever gave you these supplies showed up for payback?" Hank said.

"Yes, turns out that the supplies can be linked to a supply heist from the Cyberlife warehouse a few months back. He said that I would lose my license and go to jail and the clinic would be shut down if I didn't help him." Trudy gave Hank a hard look, begging him to understand. "My community needs that clinic, I didn't have a choice."

"This guy," Hank said, anger making his blood boil. "What does he look like?"

"I don't know he was wearing a mask and I only met him today when he showed up at my office." She froze, "I'm sorry."

"That's alright" Hank said. "Was there anything else you noticed about him? Did he say anything?"

"After we entered the hardware store, he said something strange to the android." She said. "He said that he was sent to take back what was his. Then he…" Trudy's eyes glazed over and her breath hitched slightly.

"It's alright. Take your time." Hank said.

"Then he started stabbing the android in the head…over and over…again… with the screw driver. I had no idea he was going to do it. I started screaming and slapped me, cutting my lip open. Then he threatened to kill me if I didn't remove the android's arm."

"He wanted the android's arm?" Connor asked, "Why?"

"I don't know, I could tell that it was a transplant but I couldn't tell you what android model the arm was made for." She said. "Someone saw us through…"

"Emily Rhodes." Connor nodded toward the bedroom.

"Yeah, he strangled her and told me to send the cops away." Trudy added.

"Where is he now?" Hank asked.

The next instant was a blur as a bullet tore through the window, catching Trudy in the forehead in a well-timed execution. Connor stood still, his LED a bright shade of red as blood splashed against his face. The liquid felt like acid on his skin. And Trudy sank lifelessly into the cushion of the chair.

 **Mission Failed**

* * *

 **Present Time**

 **May 23RD, 2039**

 **AM: 10:47:36**

 **Connor's Location: DPD**

Connor fell into his chair, glad to be nested in the familiar chaos of the police station. His day had only begun, but thanks to his meeting with Chloe he was feeling completely drained. Of course, Chloe would be upset about the loss of a key witness and the escape of a multiple murderer.

"That bad, huh?" Hank asked, his eyes peering over the top of his computer screen.

"She wanted to talk about the incident on the 21st." Connor murmured, he'd give anything to go back to not feeling like this.

"There's nothing you could have done, it was a sniper. Look, the only thing we can do now is try to catch this guy and get some justice for her and the others. You can't hold on to stuff like that or it will eat you alive. Get past it so you can do your job." Hank said,

"Yes, I know Lieutenant." Connor sighed, he wasn't going to let it go.

The sound of Hank's chair sliding away from his desk followed by the fluttering sound of two laminated passes landing on Connor's Desk. The android collected the passes and stared blankly at his partner, who was settling back into his seat. "What's this Lieutenant?"

"You can read, can't you?" Hank said.

"VIP passes to the Jazz Fest? But, how did you know I wanted to go?"

"I'm a detective." He said.

"Of course." Connor gave a smile for which Hand was grateful. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Hank's face flushed a shade darker, thankfully it couldn't be seen beyond his computer screen, "Yeah, yeah…don't get too excited, I wasn't able to get us the day off, we'll be working at the Jazz Fest, at the DPD booth."

"That sounds interesting." Connor said. "That's fine, we'll still get to hear the music." Connor smiled like a child on Christmas morning, it was enough to make working on the weekend worth it.

* * *

 **A/N:**

Wow, I know it's been a while but I started going to grad school and sorta thought I could do it all, and I got burnt out. I am going to keep writing this story, I love it. But my updates will not be as fast as when I started writing. Also, I've started streaming on Twitch, as Libraryrose (New Year's resolution) But I recorded a playthrough of DBS if you want to watch it. Also, if I get 10 followers by next Friday, I'll play more DBS in my Connor Cosplay.

Hope you like this chapter and thanks for reading!


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